White Violets
by TheYellingPlace
Summary: Previously untitled, this is a cute, fluffy, slightly angsty in places fic about Fred and Wes based on an ongoing rp. r
1. Awkward Situations

Hey, Tara here. This is my latest thing (I know, I need to update BOTH my other fics; believe me, they're in the works. A bit of background info on this: This is not a cutesy "lets make my favorite character a baby" fic. No, this is a grown up fic XD. It's based on a roleplay that I'm working on with my netfriend, and without her this wouldn't be possible. The first part is mad slow, but it gets better I swear.

Timeline: Some point after Life of the Party…. We're REALLY screwing with the timeline. Here's the lowdown: in the rp so far there's references to Lineage. HOWEVER. Spike is incorporeal still.

Disclaimer: this stuff ain't mine. Even the plot is only part mine.

Early in the morn, way earlier than everyone else, Wes walked into his office and began his day. It started with reviewing police files, checking to see if anything had happened while the 'team' was having their rest. .''Oh...'' he stumbled on something about a...Oh no, that one had been solved. Wesley sighed in a bored sort of way and sipped his coffee-

It was about this time that Fred woke. She'd gone to bed particularly late the previous night, and should not by any means have been awake at this time. She closed her eyes against the light of the sun's rays, hopped out of bed and, not remembering she was only in her undies, headed off in the general direction of her lab.

Eve was doing her usual "drifting" thing; popping up in places where she was most unwanted. It was very entertaining, seeing the irritated looks on everyone's faces when they saw her coming. It bugged her a bit, but hey, that may as well have been in her job description.

She walked into Wesley's office and noticed with glee the glare she received from him.

"Well if it isn't Wesley, up bright and early as usual."

"Yes. As usual. As though I had anything better to do." He sighed, his annoyance clear. Eve walked over, sitting on his desk with a sigh of her own.

"You sound perturbed, Wesley. Have a bad night?"

Fred was still on her way to the lab at this point. There were a few employees hurrying about, but not nearly the number she usually saw drifting about the hallways. Reaching her lab, she was surprised to find it empty and the lights off. Shrugging, she flipped the lights on and began looking through her case files to see if there was anything she could work on without the help of her team.

Finding nothing, she headed off in search of coffee. She needed SOMETHING to wake her up. Why was no one here? What time was it? Come to think of it, what DAY was it? As she pondered these thoughts, she failed to notice that rather than going in the direction of coffee, she was headed straight for Wesley's office.

Wesley ignored Eve, and continued to sip his coffee. Eve let out a low whistle, arching an eyebrow.

"I'll take that as a yes then."

"How about you take that as an 'I want you out of my office', Eve?" he asked her. However, he kept his calm tone and didn't bother to look up at her. She wasn't worth it. Damn the women from Wolfram and Hart. Eve faked a wince.

"Ouch! That really hurt me! I think I'll go sulk somewhere. Wait…that's YOUR job."

"Then what IS your job?" he asked her, pretending to be baffled.

"Well," Eve replied, "It could be getting your do-good asses kicked out of here. Would you like that?"

"Or it could be annoying the hell out of us and filling the slot of the evil whore," Wesley countered.

"Whore?" she cocked her head to the side. "I don't see any whores here, Wesley. Unless you're hiding one in a closet somewhere…. Or the lab, possibly." She noticed Fred approaching the office. "Oh wait, I think I found her!" Wesley gave her a look.

"I hear a bit of jealousy, hmm? She's far better than you'll ever be."

"Some things, maybe."

Fred entered Wesley's office, still clearly half-asleep.

"Wesley? What…what are you doing here? I thought you didn't even like coffee…" she muttered sleepily. Eve crossed her legs, leaning back on Wesley's desk, propping herself up with her hands.

"I think you're missing something, Fred honey," She was clearly holding back laughter.

Wes looked up at Fred and smiled a bit, not yet noticing her lack of attire.

"Well, I don't…usually." He glanced at Eve. "Tea calms one, and I wish to be tense…in this place." Finally he took in what exactly Fred wasn't wearing. He practically choked on his coffee, and tried to focus on anything that wasn't her. "Oh…dear…" he muttered.

"Whaddaya mean I'm missing something?" Fred asked, turning her attention to Eve. "Why are you even here? Don't you have people to bother elsewhere?" she whined, still not fully awake. She attempted to glare at Eve, but yawned instead.

"Fred…I think she may be referring to…um…uh…" Wesley coughed slightly.

"One word," Eve leaned close to Fred, whispering loudly. "Clothes."

Poor Wesley's face and neck were completely red by now, and he had to clench his eyes shut just to keep from looking at her body. He felt awful for that.

Fred looked down at herself, and realizing what she wasn't wearing, finally woke up and bolted from the room t find anything that could be interpreted as clothing.

"At least she left before one of your blood vessels burst." Eve remarked with an amused look. Wesley shot her a glare.

"Do shut up, Eve." He said, swallowing, He was really…really…not comfortable.

"Aww, did little Fred get you a little bothered, Wes?" she smirked, watching him. He didn't answer, too lost in his own world as he tried to remove the latest image of Fred from his mind.

Meanwhile, Fred was busy cursing at herself as she ransacked her closet for the most conservative outfit she owned. Thanks to Wolfram and Hart, her outfit consisted of a v-neck top and skirt that ALMOST reached her knees.

"Bookman? Bothered? That's one hell of a bad mental place," Spike said, walking into Wesley's office via the wall. Eve was a bit startled, sighed, and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Hello." She said emotionlessly.

"Give you a bit of a spook, did I?" Spike asked with that perpetual smirk of his.

"I need to…uh…get the other files." Wes got up, and rather than going to the nearest bathroom as expected, he actually left to get the files.

"Oh yes, watch me shake with fear." Eve retorted sarcastically, watching Wesley leave.

Fred sighed. She stood a few feet from Wesley's office, trying to decide what to do next.

"Well I could ignore him and avoid him and make everything awkward between us, or I could apologize to him and make things just as awkward but hopefully for a smaller period of time... Oh, what if he doesn't want to see me? What if he thinks I'm all strange because I wasn't awake earlier?" She didn't notice Wesley reenter his office.

Wesley reentered his office, still looking quite flustered, and sat at his desk.

"Why exactly are the two of you here?" he asked Spike and Eve.

"Baby makes three," Spike remarked as Fred entered the room. No one seemed to hear the comment.

"Because it's my job to observe you. I'm observing." Eve told Wesley.

"What she said." Spike shrugged.

"Well than observe Spike. God knows you do any other time." Sure, Wes had caught Eve oogling Spike. He'd caught Fred looking at him too. Eve glared at Wesley.

Fred stepped closer to Wesley's desk, ignoring the conversation going on around her. When everyone finally quieted, she apologized to both Wes and Eve for the 'incident'.

Eve watched Fred with a look of amusement on her face.

"Oh, I'm sure Wesley didn't mind." Wes nearly went into a panic as Fred stepped closer, but managed to speak.

"…Fred…I-it's okay…I mean. Th-things like that happen, and…people…they…um…and…." He sighed and made himself shut up.

"No! No, it was completely my own fault! I mean, if I had gone to bed earlier instead of reading that book on Polgara demons, which I shouldn't have read before going to sleep anyway 'cause it was so gruesome but if I hadn't then I would have been more awake earlier and really wouldn't have done that. So, I'm sorry." Fred babbled.

Wesley nodded slowly, hardly able to handle her being in the same room with him. She was nearly 10 feet away and it was killing him.

Fred smiled weakly at him, barely noticing Eve and Spike. It hadn't registered in her mind that Spike had heard the whole apology when he hadn't even been there for the event. Wesley nodded, trying to focus on the word "rapist" in one of the files.

"Do you need any help with that case? I mean, unless Knox is in already, I've got a good handle on mine…" she offered. She wanted to be helpful. Needed to prove that that morning wasn't going to affect anything she said or did.

"No…no help…there hasn't been much, really." He said in a whisper.

"Looks like you're the one who finally stumped him, Fred." Spike told her. Wesley looked confused, but said nothing.

"Oh…I see…" Fred replied to Wesley. She looked down. "Well, maybe Knox is in…I could go check and see if he's there…" she sighed, trying to ignore Spike's words. Maybe she should go curl up in a corner and cry or something.

Wesley cringed at the mention of Knox, but tried to forget everything that was going on. Eve just remained on his desk, smirking, obviously enjoying this.

Fred wished she could take the morning back, just so she could get Wesley to stop pushing her away. She hadn't done that on purpose, as if she ever would. Wesley stood up.

"I need to go speak with Charles…" he got up and left the room in search of Gunn.

"Wesley wait!" Fred called, running after him. He stopped and turned around, keeping his eyes off of her.

"Yes?" he asked softly.

"I…" she was at a total loss for what exactly to say to him. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable! I don't want you to walk away and ignore me!"

"Fred…I don't want to act like that…I just…it's complicated, I suppose." He said slowly and delicately.

"I don't want to go back to my lab and be isolated from the rest of you! I don't' want to be alone with Knox all day, okay! Can't you understand that?" She was on the verge of tears.

"I do…more than you know." He looked directly at Fred for the first time since her original appearance that morning.

"Wesley…" there was so much she wanted to say to him. Instead, she turned around and stormed back to Wesley's office to find Spike and, likely, Eve. That girl was everywhere.

Wes was confused. When Fred said 'them', was she referring to herself and him? Or was she referring to the team and their current situation?

Eve was still sitting on Wesley's desk when Fred returned, tapping her fingernails on the wood and arching an eyebrow.

"Fred." Eve smiled, watching her. "You're back."

"You bet," Fred replied, trying not to look like she was about to cry.

"Something wrong?"

"Why would you think that?" Fred asked, her voice bitter. She wanted to go back to bed. Maybe that was a good idea; pretend today never happened.

"You look like you're about to cry." Eve said, faking a frown and a sad voice.


	2. Happiness?

Hey. Here's chapter two. I dunno how long this will end up being; the rp we only have an hour to work on every night, and usually it takes a while to get started. But til then, here's this next part. Enjoy, and PLEASE r&r

Disclaimer: nuh mine.

As the days went by, Wesley ignored Fred more and more. He was embarrassed of his obvious love and devotion to her. It wasn't like he really had any say in the matter. Fred, meanwhile, was busy retracting into herself. She began hiding away in her lab for longer and longer each day, making it much like her cave in Pylea.

When Wesley finally came to see her, it was when he had missed her so much it hurt. He opened the door to Fred's lab and looked around for her.

"Fred?" He called in a soft voice. Fred looked up from a case she was working on. Oh God, it was Wesley. She backed away from him slowly.

"Wesley. What do you need? I'm positive that I sent all my files to Angel via Knox...I never submit late work; you know that.."

"Fred...I was hoping to talk to you actually. A-about something unrelated to work." he winced. Fred paled.

"Oh...um, sure, I suppose. Have I done something wrong again? I keep messing things up...I knew one day I'd miss something,"

"No Fred, it's not that." Wesley walked closer to Fred, who remained where she was. "I...I just...I miss seeing you...I miss you..."

"I must be dreaming," she mumbled to herself. She looked at the ground, waiting for the moment when she'd wake up in her bed, alone and without Wesley. The truth was, she'd very much missed seeing him too.

"No...I-I don't believe so..." Wesley looked kind of embarrassed and hurt at her words. Fred looked away from him.

"Fred, what's wrong?" he put his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Oh, I don't know." she sniffled slightly, and tried to laugh but it sounded more like a sob. "I don't know what happend...the other day, I mean. And then with us avoiding each other...it hurt, you know?"

Wesley put his arms around her, trying to comfort her in some way, yet seemed unsure of how she would react to it.

"I'm sorry...I just...I wasn't...I felt wrong seeing you like that...and...and I wanted to because...well, it doesn't mater anymore because I-"

"Wesley, what does it matter? It was an accident! and...I'd rather it have been you rather than anyone else..." she blushed and looked down, hoping she hadn't said anything to discomfort him further.

"...Oh...?" Wes mentally kicked himself. He sounded like an idiot.

"Well, I mean...I trust you, Wes. Some of the others would have made comments or made me feel uncomfortable, I guess? I don't know..." She felt uneasy right now, but he didn't need to know that.

"Oh..." he sounded like Fred had let him down by saying that, but he wasn't important now; she was.

"Um...do you wanna go for coffee? If you'll excuse me so I can freshen up, I mean..." Fred offered shyly. Wesley smiled. More time with Fred! Quickly he let go of her, and nodded, hoping he didn't appear too eager to be spending time with her. He wanted to impress her, not frighten her.

Fred hurried off to the bathroom. During this time she fixed her makeup and hair, and ditched her lab coat to reveal a casual yet cute tank and skirt set.Smiling at her reflection in the mirror, she returned to Wesley.

Wesley had to smile when she returned. She looked so cute in that outfit. He quickly acknowledged the extreme shortness of her skirt and repressed a grin.

"Okay now?"

Fred smiled weakly. "Never been better. Are we ready to go?" at Wesley's nod, they started out of the lab.

She walked as closely to Wes as she could without having to worry about causing him any further discomfort. She fought the urge to grab his arm and say something to make him laugh. The more she thought about what could be, the more she dreaded being with him.

Wesley was also walking as close to her as he dared, glancing at her every minute or so. She didnt seem to notice, or, if she did, she didn't mind. He missed her more than anything, and to finally almost have her after two years...he sighed.

"So..." Fred needed to make conversation. Needed to hear Wesley's voice. "I haven't seen you in about a week...a lot can happen in that much time. I hear you had a couple of bad cases?"

"Not really We heard a few things abotu werewolves, but Angel didn't mind much," he stated simply.

"I'm sure it was more interesting than that..." she was borderiong on flirting, and she know it.

"Not really." he smiled and nearly had a heart attack when he felt his hand lightly brush against hers. Fred noticed too, and gave him the faintest hint of a smile; just enough to let him know she felt it too. She knew he had feelings for her. She really wasn't stupid. She just didn't want him to think that this was her way of being sorry for the incident the week previous.

Ironically, this was exactly what Wesley thought. He sighed. There was no hope for them as a couple.

Looking up at him again, Fred noticed that there was something different about his expression. Of course, she didn't know what it was, but she could tell it was not of the good. Feeling that it was her fault, she leaned her head against his shoulder. Wesley suddenly looked very nervous, and and silently he draped his arm over her shoulder. Fred snuggled into his shoulder, just slightly, before murmuring,

"Is this too much for you, Wesley? I-I can let go if this bothers you..."

"No...no." he shook his head. "Unless you don't want to..." he added sadly. Fred sighed happily.

"Wes, would I have done this if I didn't want to?" She paused for a moment, trying to think. "Where are we going again?"

Sorry its short; I really wanted to get part 2 out tonight, and if I kept going, I'd never get it done. I have a 200 page book to read by 2nd period tomorrow, so...yeah. I'll try and update tomorrow or the day after, but due to my sisters' incapability of getting along, and with yours truly in charge..we'll see. Ciao!


	3. Beginning of a Relationship

3.22.05 – Hey, sorry it's been a while. The only reason I've gotten so many chapters so soon is that I've got 21 pages of rp in my hands, ready to be put here. I'm still looking for a title for this, though…Also, this is one of my favorite parts in the rp. It's got more of a plot than anything previous.

Disclaimer: not mine.

They were currently walking out of Wolfram and Hart.

"Wherever you want to go," Wesley answered softly.

"Let's go somewhere we don't usually go. Somewhere that takes more than a half a minute to reach…I want to be able to stay like this for a few minutes, to…to remember this in case it never happens again…". Fred's eyes began to water as she thought of never being able to get this close to Wesley again.

"You don't want it to?" he asked her curiously. She pulled away from him, turning to study his face.

"Of course I do! You don't understand how long I've wanted this to happen…maybe not as long as you have, Wesley, but I've waited a long while too…" the last half of her phrase was spoken barely above a whisper.

"I wasn't sure if you…if you wanted to be with me…" he responded with a sigh.

"I know I didn't…show you much affection…okay, I showed you barely any…" Fred looked down. "But I was afraid that I'd been reading all the signs wrong and there was that .6 chance that you didn't want me after all…"

"Fred… there's a 110 chance that I wanted to be with you. And I still do. I don't know where I'd be without you… I honestly don't know how I've survived this long…I-I l-love you, Fred." He stuttered. Fred stared at him for a moment, her expression unreadable.

"Y-you love me? Me? There must be some… I caused you so much pain these past few days let alone the past two years…Wesley, I love you too…"

"All the misery and waiting… it only made me love you more." He explained, shaking his head. Tears began trickling down Fred's cheeks. What had she put him through?

"Wes…I don't know how much torment I must have put you through over the past two years, but…let's not find out how much more you'd have endured if this never happened…". Fred thought to herself how funny she must have looked, splotchy eyes and tears streaming down her cheeks, on a crowded sidewalk in downtown LA. Wesley gently wiped away her tears.

"Don't cry…please…" he begged. Oh god, this was it. He didn't have to be lonely anymore… he would have someone, someone he loved. Not like Lilah, who'd denied him what he wanted and then mocked him for wanting it. No, Fred loved him, and now he would have her all to himself, and someone else would have to watch THEM together, having fun together and smiling at each other in cute ways and…oh… Wesley was in heaven.

Fred tried in earnest to stop crying. It took a few moments, but she calmed down.

"I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes. Then, summoning all her courage, she leaned up to plant a kiss on Wesley's cheek, near the corner of his mouth.

With that, all of Wesley's self control was gone, as he turned and kissed her with all he had, and it felt incredible. Fred brought her hands up behind Wesley's head and neck, pulling herself closer to him. If it were to start raining fire (again) she wouldn't have noticed, nor would she have cared.

He couldn't stop kissing her. It was as if there was some force that had been fought for the longest time and now it would be impossible to stop. He would never be able to stop touching her in some way, or be away from her for longer than a second.

"…Fred I love you…I need you…"

"Wesley…Wes, I'm not going anywhere. Not now, not ever. I can't be somewhere where I can't reach you…" she clung to him. "I love you, Wesley. So much."

"You're everything to me…there's so much that I need to say to you, to show you…about how I feel about you. And I don't think that there's enough time in a single lifetime to say it and I'm afraid that I can't get it all in and…"

Fred silenced him with a kiss.

"There's no running anymore; no rush to beat out each other's significant other…we're here, we're together…Wesley, we can take our time. I have so much I need to share with you too… but nothing in the world is as important to me as us being together."

Wes put his arms around her, holding her to him.

"Maybe we should go somewhere…indoors?" he offered quietly.

"I think that sounds wonderful. Do you have anywhere specific in mind?" she batted her eyelashes playfully. Poor Wes almost had an asthma attack; That was saying something, because the last time that happened was in the tenth grade.

"Your place, or mine?" Oh, that took courage. Fred grinned in return.

"Which is closest?" she asked saucily. Wesley thought for a moment.

"Mine, but I'd rather go to your place…" he nodded.

"My place it is, then." She took his hand as they walked down the street towards her apartment.

A/N: sorry it was so short…I meant to combine this chapter and the next, but in order to be able to update tonight, I'd have to end it here. I won't be home for the rest of the week so I NEEDED to get this thing updated. The second part of the chapter will hopefully be up this weekend. Ciao!

Tara


	4. When Things Heat Up

Hey. Sorry it took so long for an update; I'm still busy as all hell. Not my fault. Anyway, here's the next chapter. It's gonna get longer and longer between chapters, simply because I'm catching up to the point we're at in the role-play. But don't worry, cause we've got a LOT planned, and it's going to take some time for all the events to take place. Anyway, enjoy chapter 4!

Chapter 4

He held her hand as tight as he could without hurting her tiny bones. She was so little…it amazed him. He loved her tiny, innocent self; he marveled at how this creature could make him burn the way he did.

Fred made herself comfortable against him as they walked. Amused, she wondered what Angel and the others thought had happened to them. They could wait though. She was with Wesley; everything else in the world could wait. Perhaps he should spend a day in the lab with her…get rid of Knox for good…

Ironically, Wesley was thinking the same thoughts…only this time there was a gun involved, should the irritating lab assistant go near his girl. Well, Wes had had these thoughts before, but now Fred was his, and he'd do anything to keep her safe with him.

She lifted her head to look at his face. This…was a face she could look at for an eternity and never tire of. OOH, Wes had thinking face.

"What's on your mind, Wesley? You look so serious."

"Nothing really…other than I'm not afraid to pull a gun on anyone who touches or harms you." He caressed her cheek and smiled as though he'd just given her the time or something.

"Wes, how could anyone harm me if I'm constantly with you? Put those thoughts away and enjoy yourself!" still clutching his hand, she turned and pulled him playfully down the sidewalk. Wesley laughed, a sound not often heard, and kissed her gently.

"I love you, you know. More than anything." He commented.

Pulling him to her, she let go of his hand but wrapped her arms around him, and told him how much she loved him. Then she whispered in his ear,

"You should laugh more often, Wesley…it's an amazing sound." Wesley, in return, smiled and blushed, but he wasn't completely sure yet that this wasn't a dream.

Unknowingly, Fred was thinking the same thoughts. The more she thought about it, the more tears rose in her eyes. She turned away from Wesley, so he couldn't see her tears.

"Fred, what's wrong?" he asked her, a sick feeling in his stomach. Oh, what had he done to cause this? Wordlessly, Fred reached out to touch his cheek with trembling fingers. If she was going to lose him…she needed to at least have this memory.

"What did I do?" Wes asked, sounding much like a panicked child.

"You didn't do anything…but, but what if this is all a dream and I wake up at home in the morning and it turns out we're still avoiding each other? Wesley, that'll be devastating!"

At that moment, Wesley decided that if they were both thinking the same thing, then there was no possible way it could have been a dream.

"No, I'm really here, as are you. And if what they say about pain waking you up is true…no. This is real." He kissed a single tear, which had begun trailing down Fred's cheek.

"Wesley…what are we going to do about work? They probably need our help and…" she babbled.

"Let's worry about that later; I don't care about anything but you." He kissed her gently, hoping to kiss away all her worries. And oh…that sound she made…well, he now had a goal in life: to make her make that sound again and again until the end of time.

Fred was more than happy to begin a makeout session in the middle of town, but it would get a little uncomfortable after a while. Kissing him again, she let go of him, grinned, and took off as fast as she could in the direction of her apartment building. Wesley followed her, but slowed to let her think she was beating him. Plus, there was an advantage to Fred in a short skirt.

Turning back to face him, she laughed and stuck her tongue out at him, teasing him. Wesley caught up with her, pretending to be out of breath.

"You're fast," he teased. His humor was lost on Fred.

"Really? You think so?"

Wesley laughed. "Yes. You and your cute heels." He grinned at her and looked up at a nearby building. "Is that your apartment?"

"Well, that's the building, yeah…you wanna come up?" she asked him, smiling lightly. Wes nodded and looked down, blushing.

As they walked into the building, he looked around to try to figure out which apartment belonged to her. She grabbed him playfully by the hand.

"Come on!" she led Wesley to the elevator. While they waited for the doors to open, she threw her arms around him.

"I don't know what I'd do without you."

Wes smiled and buried his face in her neck. Fred held on to him, savoring the moment until the elevator doors opened. Wes then pulled back a bit. Clearly, there was something on his mind.

"That time…when we were drunk at the Halloween party…why did you ask me what I thought of Knox?"

"Wesley…I was drunk. He never meant anything to me. Never. I asked you because I wanted to know…you never said anything about what you thought…"

"That was because I thought you… you know…" he sighed.

"I liked him? I only kept mentioning him to make you jealous…so maybe you'd say something to me about it…Wesley, I'm no good at initiating relationships." She said softly.

"Neither am I…clearly." He smiled, embarrassed. The elevator door finally opened, and they stepped in.

"But that doesn't matter anymore. We're together, we're in love…everything else is history." Realizing she'd let go of him, Fred clung to Wes's arm, hoping she wasn't causing him any pain.

Wes didn't mind. She was so tiny; she probably couldn't have hurt him had she tried. When they got to her apartment, he looked around. Upon entering the room, his face lit up; the apartment was so Fredishly cute!

"Well, welcome to my apartment…I know it's probably overdone by your tastes, but it's comfy to me…and you're always welcome here. You know that, right? I like having you in my home. I mean, even if you just got here…" she smiled sweetly at her guest, who smiled back.

"I think it's amazing." He followed her wherever she went, looking around at everything. Fred quickly looked around the place to make sure she hadn't left anything about which could cause embarrassment. She needed everything to be perfect in Wesley's presence.

Wesley smiled when he saw a picture of a slightly younger Fred holding an old, worn out stuffed rabbit. She looked so cute, and seemed very attached to the rabbit.

"So. Is this my competition?" he asked her, holding up the photo. Fred giggled in response.

"That's Feigenbaum, the master of chaos. I brought him with me when I moved from Texas. He kept me company when I had no one…" she gave Wesley a look and s loving smile, as if to state her point.

"But he's second now, right?" Wesley looked completely serious, yet Fred knew he was joking.

"Wesley, for me there is no second. Only you; my one and only." She looked him in the eye and in the same joking manner as Wesley's, asked him, "but we can still keep him around, right?"

"I assume that the little creature is on your bed now? He sleeps on the couch from now on." He nodded matter-of-factly as he put the photo back on the table. Fred pouted playfully at him.

"You spoil all my fun," she teased. Wesley stepped closer to her, letting his hands rest on her hips.

"Oh really, Winifred?"

"Unless you convince me otherwise, I'd have to say you're jealous of Feigenbaum."

"Perhaps I am." Wes subtly slid his hand under the hem of her shirt. Fred shivered slightly and dropped the topic of the rabbit. She looked up at him, curious yet completely understanding as to what was going on. "I don't I could live without you now…if something happened to take you away…there would be nothing left in the world for me." Wesley continued softly.

"Wesley…" she took his hand and pressed the palm tightly over her heart, so he could feel its beating. "Nothing will take you away from me. Nothing CAN take me away from you…"

He kissed her without warning, and gently pinned her against the wall.

"So tiny and beautiful…" he whispered. Fred kissed him again.

"And yours…handsome man saved me…" She looked pointedly at him. Wesley laughed. He didn't see himself as anything buy ordinary. Still, he didn't contradict her.

"You are an amazing woman, Fred."

"Oh hardly. You, on the other hand," she gave him a quick peck, "are extraordinary."

Wesley kissed her again, more passionately than anything previous.

Fred couldn't get enough of him. His taste, his scent…she was drowning in him. If he were to let go of her right now, she'd absolutely and literally die.

Wes didn't let go of her, but at the same time tried to move them towards Fred's bedroom. He stumbled and fell backwards, bringing Fred down on top of him. Fred blushed as she realized their positions, but soon got over it. She couldn't help bringing her hands to the side of Wesley's face and kissing him long and passionately.

He could help but feel loved and wanted – for once. Fred was so warm and beautiful, and the way she kissed him…that meant something, didn't it? Yes it did.

"Wesley." She breathed. "Floor?" she hoped the floor wasn't too hard on his back, which it probably was, but in any case she'd rather they be in a more comfortable setting. Say, for example, her bed.

"Uh…yes…good point." He nodded as she rolled off of him. This was getting to be very aggravating for the both of them. It took all of Fred's willpower not to just roll over and pull him on top of her. She did, however, tug him forcefully in the direction of her bed. Wes groaned slightly from the…discomforts…and went along with her plan.

Impatiently, Fred rolled onto her bed, not caring about the now displaced pillows, and pulled Wesley to her.

"One moment." Wes grabbed poor Feigenbaum and tossed him to the floor, grinning wickedly at Fred. She in turn pouted at Wesley. "…I'm sure the creature does not wish to witness the…uh…mattress Olympics…" he explained to her, staring at her adorable pout.

"Make me feel better?" she whimpered.

"Oh, Fred, I'll do more than that…" he attacked her neck with little kisses. She tried to pull him closer to her, so tight she could barely breathe.

"Wesley…"

"Fred…clothes need to…disappear…first," he mumbled between kisses, "…else…this will be…erm…difficult." Fred let go of him, and oh so slowly began unbuttoning her lover's shirt.

"…Are you teasing me?" Wesley asked her, a look of mock surprise on his face. Fred purred.

"Maybe…" she made a point of going slower. It was driving him insane and she knew it.

"Little devil," he grinned and pressed himself closer to her, kissing her neck again. "Perhaps…you should get a taste…of your own medicine…" Wes purred right on back. Fred was going to faint. Not from anything physical, but if Wesley purred like that one more time, she was going to faint.

"Bring it on," she whispered.

And this has been the sketchiest bit of this ever. That's right, as far as we can tell it's all downhill from here. In a manner of speaking. R&R!


	5. Emotional Rollercoaster

Sorry for the…what, 6 month hiatus? I didn't mean to let it slip like that. However, I've got to say that this chapter is going to be positively massive for me to write. And we've got Miss American Pie to thank for getting me motivated enough to update. She not only inspired me to get around to updating this, but she also has come up with a name for the story. So a great many thanks to her. Also, if you ever stumble upon the taco-flavored cheez-its, they're REALLY good. 

Disclaimer: I'm in college. I have no money. Characters not mine.

White Violets Chapter 5

Fred yawned as she rested her head on Wesley's chest. She wanted to talk to him; she had a terrible nagging in her mind that this had all been a dream and nothing was as it seemed. She realized though, that waking him would mean ruining the peaceful moment. Instead, she yawned again.

Wesley, still fast asleep, mumbled something unintelligible in his sleep, squirmed a bit, holding her tighter in his already tight embrace.

"…. No…don't…promise not to…" he whimpered. Then his eyes fluttered open. "I…I'm awake," he said groggily. He looked about the room as memories from the previous night came flooding back to him. "What's wrong?" he asked, seeing the concerned expression on Fred's face. He sat up.

"You were muttering something in your sleep…were you having a nightmare? Also…I kind of can't breathe," she informed him gently. Instantly the hold Wesley had on his love was loosened.

"Oh, sorry…I um…" he blushed adorably as he looked away from her to check the clock on her nightstand, noting the time to be far to early for either of them to be awake. Fred misinterpreted his actions and became more worried than she had been.

"Wait…what's the matter?" she sat up, clutching the sheets to her chest. "Tell me what's wrong, Wesley. You know I'll listen to you and won't judge anything…"

Wesley looked down and sighed. "It's nothing really…not a big deal." He insisted quietly. Fred pulled him into her arms, dropping her sheets in the process.

"Wesley…I don't know what's wrong with you, but I want to help you…are you…are you going back on what you said last night, about needing me? Am I no good to you?" she worried, fighting back tears. Wesley was taken aback.

"What? No Fred, of course not! You were… you were amazing!" he started to panic. "I was…it was a nightmare Fred. Nothing at all involving you." He assured her.

"Wes…I love you. I can't help you if I don't know what it is that's bothering you. Please open up to me? If last night meant anything to you…" she pouted at him.

"I love you…and last night meant the world to me. I just…don't like to talk about it. I've gotten quite used to it, actually." He told her. Fred sighed and gave up on trying to get him to tell her what was wrong.

"Okay. But you promise it wasn't me?" she asked timidly.

"I promise," he told her. He pulled her into a hug as his eyes began to water.

"Wesley…" she planted small loving kisses all over his face. She wasn't starting anything, only trying to remove the tears from his eyes. He looked like a puppy who'd just been kicked.

Wesley shook his head a little. "I'm okay, really. It's just that…ever since that day…when…the robot, remember?" He sounded childish, so unlike the brainy Wesley everyone knew. "…I just can't stop thinking about that." He confessed. Fred rocked him gently.

"I can't imagine what you're going through, Wesley. But if there's anything I can do, I will. Okay?" she ran a hand through his hair as he nodded.

He'd been alone for so long…and it was strange being in her bed with her, and all of her belongings around him, making him feel peaceful and loved and at home. It was definitely strange. "I love you," he said softly.

"I love you too," she kissed his forehead and held him close, hoping to help him feel more stable, but more importantly, safe and loved. She smiled when, a few minutes later, he'd drifted back to a peaceful sleep. "To think," she said to the sleeping Wesley, "that this time last week you were afraid to see me in my underwear. "I love you so much…" Making sure the both of them were comfortable, she fell back and went back to sleep as well.

Wesley woke around noon and panicked a bit. He disentangled himself from Fred's embrace and began to get dressed, hoping work hadn't missed him, or Fred.

Fred had woken up when Wesley got out of bed, and she sat up groggily, looking half asleep as she searched for various articles of clothing. Watching her get dressed, Wesley pouted.

"Clothes bad…" he whined, a joking smile on his face. Fred, more awake, sighed knowingly.

"I know, I know…but we need to get to work, or Angel's going to wonder what happened to us…he'd probably send a research and rescue team out after an hour."

"If I weren't supposed to be so mature, I'd tell them to go on and find us. But sadly, I am." Fully dressed, Wesley waited for her by the door. Attempting to smooth out her more than wrinkled skirt, she walked over to him and, smiling, offered him her arm.

"What so we tell them if they ask us where we were? We're a mess!" she giggled.

"No clue," Wesley said, shrugging and taking her arm. "I doubt anyone will ask, particularly Angel…what with his 'glorified senses' and all."

Fred cringed. "We're in for it, aren't we?"

"'Little bit, yes." He nodded and opened the door, headed for the elevator.

"Oh…Wesley?".

"Yes Fred?"

"I need a favor… do you think that you could um, spend some time with me in the lab today? Not-not like that, I mean, like to ward of Knox? I know I'm probably a pain, but…" she looked down as the exited the building and begat their trek to work.

"Sure. Anything you want." He squeezed her hand. "And you aren't a pain, Fred. Don't ever think that." He said, bringing her a bit closer to him.

"Have I told you recently that I love you?" she asked him, leaning against him slightly as they walked.

"About fifty times, and I expect to both hear it and say it myself another fifty before the day is done." He said softly. He felt his heart swell every time she told him how she felt about him. The way she said those words made him love her even more.

"Mmm." She loved telling him how much she loved him just as much as she loved hearing it from him. There was no way they were going to be able to work without letting the entire building know they were dating. "I think we should just outright tell them all about us." She commented offhandedly.

"I think they'll know the second we talk in together," he said, a bit of excitement in his voice.

"Do you think they'll be happy? I mean…we're happy…happy doesn't even begin to describe…so would they be happy because we're happy? I want everyone to be happy!" she babbled.

"Wesley smirked. "They'll be happy," he assured her as Wolfram and Hart came into view. Fred resisted the urge to jump into his arms and have her carry her into work. What an attention getter that would be…

Wesley clutched her had tightly, and just before they entered the building, Fred did actually leap into his arms. Then she frowned, hoping she hadn't been too bold and frightened him. He grinned, however, and held her so that he wouldn't drop her.

"You're lighter than I thought." He whispered to her. Fred tilted her head.

"How heavy did you think I was? I-I mean, I can gain weight, if that's what you'd like…"

"No…no, I love you the way you are." He assured her, pressing the button for the elevator.

"Wesley? What time is it? I haven't seen a clocks; are we late?"

"I'm afraid so," he said, gently setting her back on the ground. "I do wonder though if Angel has sent out a search team." He let out a tiny sigh.

"It'd be funny if he did. And then we'd walk in and he'd get all…" she sighed and leaned her head against Wesley's shoulder. "Can we stay like this all day?" she asked, yawning. "Maybe we should have gotten coffee…"

"Yes… the lack of caffeine has given me a headache." He said dully, seeming very depressed again.

"Anything I can fix? Oh I know, we can send Knox to get it!" She calmed herself down. "Wesley, what's wrong?" Wesley smiled in a painful sort of way. 

"Just a headache, darling. Nothing too big,"

"You called me 'darling'…"she was so happy to receive such a pet name that her eyes teared up slightly. This of course panicked Wesley.

"That makes you cry?" he worried, dabbing at her eyes quickly. "I'm sorry…I…"

"No! No, I just…I don't have anything to call you in return…Wesley, that makes me so happy…don't panic, okay? Relax." She kissed him.

He nodded slowly. "...You don't have to call me anything…Wesley's fine." He didn't want to tell her that he didn't prefer to be called by pet names. It just wasn't his thing.

"Do we have to go to work? I mean…you used to be the boss. Can't you pull some strings with Angel? I don't want to face Knox right now, and without you…you know he likes me!" she buried her face in Wesley's chest, breathing in his scent.

"I'll scare him off." he said jokingly "Anything for my...my…" he trailed off.

Fred pulled back and studied him. "Your what, Wesley? What...what am I to you?" she asked curiously, her expression unreadable.

"Everything." he answered. By now, of course, the elevator stopped and opened.

"Well if it helps you any... you're my world," she told him. She winced; it was cheesy, but there were only so many words in the English language with which she could verbally communicate how much he meant to her.

Wesley nodded shyly, took her hand, and left the elevator. Spike, who was walking by, stared at them. He sniffed the air and pretended to gag. "you two could at least SHOWER after you've shagged. Jesus Christ.'' He grinned, shook his head, and walked off to annoy other members of the company.

Fred blushed and buried her head in his side, and mumbled to Wesley how she wished "Knoxy" could have that power.

He looked hurt for a moment, and then nodded as he headed for the lab with her.

"On second thought...I don't want to go there now. Let's bask in happiness for a while. In say...your office? You're not ready to deal with this, are you?" Fred asked understandingly.

"Are you saying you want to have sex in my office?" Wes asked with a joking grin on his face.

Fred blushed, but kept her cool. "Well now that you mention it..." she trailed off. "Seriously though. If you don't want to face this now, it's okay..." she was, of course, referring to Knox, but she didn't want to use his name again, knowing that it made Wesley uncomfortable.

"Whatever you want.'' He said, as Angel came out of his office.

"Hey, there you—," Angel sniffed the air. "Oh...Ok…" he nodded slightly.

Fred looked at Angel, and then at Wesley, and the looks on both of their faces was just too much. She started giggling.

Wesley turned to look at her, almost startled. "What's...what's so funny?'' he asked, confused.

"The...the look on your face! When-when he, he said that? You looked all—," she was laughing again, and mimicked the face he'd made.

Wesley then looked at Angel. "I look like that?'"

Angel nodded, amused. Then without a word, he disappeared to go find something that didn't have to do with relationships. They made him uncomfortable sometimes.

"So, Wesley. We've scared the resident vampires. What are we gonna do next?" Fred smiled sweetly at him.

"Work, perhaps. I have some files that I've got to go over.'" Wes said dully.

"Anything I can do?" She knew that, realistically, they DID have to work. Just because they were together...she stopped. Were they together? She loved him and he loved her back, sure... but were they together?

"No. Not exactly. Unless you would like to assist me in looking through some files." He said, not catching on to the fact that she was begging him to spend time with her.

Fred sighed. Maybe it was just some thing for him. "Oh...well I'll be in my lab, I suppose..." she turned and began her small trek to the lab.

He nodded slowly, and went into his office, and sat down at his desk-

Poor Fred was ticked. She had told him how much she loved him, and he returned the affection, but now it seemed that he didn't care. She vowed not to leave her lab until something positive happened.

And there in HIS office, were Eve and Spike. Spike was attempting to touch her, while Eve just stood against the wall. "What in the Hell?" Wesley cried angrily.

Meanwhile, Fred smiled at Knox, who'd just put a cup of coffee in her hand. Nothing at all against Wesley, but this was comforting.

Eve blushed and left the room, Spike trailing behind. Wesley shook his head and got up, and walked into Fred's department, then into her office. "Fred…" he whined.

Fred looked up from some demon thing she'd been dissecting. "Hmm? Oh Wesley, hi." she resumed her work.

"...Fred, Eve and Spike were...they were doing something in my office..." he said, putting the emphasis on the 'something'.

"Wesley, it's a fact of nature. It happens! I mean... god Wesley, were we much different last night?" she asked coldly.

That was like a slap in the face to Wesley. "…Oh…I'm-I'm sorry I'll just…" he had let his guard down, and he got hurt, and that would never happen again. He turned and rushed out, heading back to the sanctuary of his own office, and locking the door behind him.

Fred felt bad. She hadn't questioned him outright about their relationship, and now it was her fault that he was probably hurt worse than she was. Hoping there was some way to save what was left of their relationship, she tore down the hallways to Wesley's office.

Knowing that Fred would probably follow him, he went into the vault-like library he had, and shut the door behind him. He didn't hear much in there. That was good.

She banged on his door for what seemed like hours. Called his name after a while too. When she received nothing in response, tears began flowing like Niagara Falls. She didn't notice that her hands were beginning to bruise; for all she knew, Wesley could be dead on the other side of the door. She knew that he didn't take anything he considered to be betrayal very lightly.

Finally, after a half hour, Wesley opened the door to his office and came out, looking shaken and embarrassed. "Do you need something?" he asked her in a cold, professional voice-

"W-Wesley..." he was okay. If he never wanted to speak to her again, fine. But he was okay. Nothing happened to him, he was alive... she had hurt him. She longed to feel his arms around her, have him tell her it was okay... but she knew he wouldn't. He didn't trust her anymore.

His walls started to crumble once more "Why did you yell at me?"

"I didn't mean to!" she sobbed, "I felt so left out this morning when all I wanted to do was spend time with you and you barely even noticed me!" she sniffled and wiped her nose with her bruised hand.

"...I'm sorry I-..I've just been working on this case with Gunn and…and…'' Wesley looked away from her.

"I know..." she tried to smile. "There are things in this world more important than me." That wasn't exactly the thing she meant to say, but that was how it came out. She turned around, and sighed, deciding where to go now.

"...No. No there aren't...there's just other important things as well. I'm sorry that I can't exactly...make everything else go away.''

"No, I do understand Wesley...if you need me...I'll be at my apartment..." she turned and left. Her apartment held joyous memories of the previous day, and all she wanted was comfort.

Wes sighed, and turned, heading into his office.

"Wes, wait!" Fred called, hurrying back to him. She couldn't hurt him like that again.

He turned, looking very upset and tired. 'Why was she doing this?' He wondered to himself.

"I know you probably hate me right now...and really I don't blame you...but…" she kissed his cheek. "...I love you, Wesley..."

Wesley, having forgiven her in his mind at least, grabbed her and pulled her into his office, kicking the door shut as his kissed her.

She kissed him back, then giggled, then made an attempt to tell him that he didn't need to do this, but gave up halfway through the sentence in favor of kissing him again

He continued to kiss her passionately, letting out all his anger and frustration. Fred didn't seem to mind.

"W-Wesley...when I said...in office... kidding!" she mumbled between kisses.

He nodded, but didn't hear a word she said, to busy kissing her wherever he could.

After a few moments, she pulled back, trying to read his reaction.

Wesley's cheeks were red, and he was still panting lightly.

Fred rested her hand on his cheek and looked up into his eyes. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to upset you earlier..." Yes, she was still stuck on that. She needed to make sure she didn't cause any damage to their relationship.

Wesley took her bruised hand, saying nothing, and began to kiss the little bruises.

She felt like saying "ow ow ow" because it really hurt. But it was Wesley kissage, and so she didn't. "Oh Wesley. Can you even hear a word I'm saying?" she smiled sweetly, though it didn't come off sweet so much as a grimace.

He nodded, letting her arm drop to her side. He growled a bit, and felt something prickle at the back of his neck. Wes whirled around to see Spike. "What do you want?'' he hissed, angered that the moment was ruined by an unwanted ghost.

Fred looked up and, though she liked Spike, this was THE worst time to be dealing with him. She frowned in his direction.

"Sorr-ee. Jeez. Just wanted to tell you that Fred's parents were here to see her." Spike grinned and walked through a wall.

"W-what? Here? Now? Oh god...Wesley what am I going to say to them? What are they going to think!"

"Nothing. They don't know what we're doing...we'll...we'll just...well, I do look a mess, but you're ok, so long as you've got your lab coat on..." he opened the door to let her out.

"Wesley...come with me?" she pleaded.

He nodded nervously and followed her out of his office.

She took his arm and looked him in the eye. "We're going to tell my parents, Wesley. Before Spike or Eve decide to get even with us..."

"Oh, how lovely." he nodded and swallowed nervously.

"Don't be silly, Wes. They already love you. And I'll do the talking. Okay?"

"Yes." he nodded

Fred swallowed nervously as she and Wesley walked towards her parents. She clung to Wesley for dear life, as though he could be taken away at any moment.

However, he gently shook her off, just so her parents wouldn't look at him oddly.

Fred and Wesley reached the area where her parents were, and smiled happily, hoping that her annoyance at being disturbed from her reconciliation of sorts with Wesley didn't show through. "Mom...Dad...what brings you out here?"

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Burkle." Wesley greeted Roger and Trish in a very polite manner. "It is very good to see you."

Fred smiled at Wesley, and explained to her parents that they'd been taking a lunch break.

Trish smiled knowingly, and Wes blushed and looked away.

Fred didn't think her parents would have caught on, being the types of people they were, and instinctively held on to Wesley's arm.

"Fred, I'd really enjoy seeing the lab, if you wouldn't mind showing us." Roger told her. How they even knew about her lab, she had no idea.

"Of course... if you'd just...come with me..." she looked at Wes, clearly not wanting to be in that lab, before putting up a false but genuine looking smile and leading her parents to the lab.

Wesley nodded and tagged along, noticing the looks he was getting from Knox, and it was clear that there was a bit more going on between Knox and Fred than he actually knew.

"Mom, dad, this is Knox...he's my assistant. He knows everything there is to know about the lab." Knox nodded and smiled extremely politely, greeting both of Fred's parents individually. There was definitely something off about him, and Fred couldn't wait to get out of there.

Wes waited for her to be done, and glared whenever he could at Knox, who had no qualms about glaring back, both going unnoticed by Fred and her parents.

Fred quickly concluded her tour, insisting that the place looked much bigger than it was. She barely even acknowledged Knox on her way out, making sure that Wesley was nearby at all times.

Afterwards, poor Wes wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. He felt like an annoying puppy, just tagging along. "Uh…Fred…I do have a bit of work to do…so if you don't mind, I'll be in my office.'' he smiled politely, for the sake of Fred's parents.

"Wesley, are you sure?" she pulled him off to the side, where her parents couldn't hear her. "This is about them, and Knox, isn't it?"

"No, of course not. I really do have work to do. I just saw that damned file-boy enter my office," he pointed towards his office.

Fred pouted. "No more fun..." she commented, turning around and stalking back to her parents. Her day could NOT get any worse. She loved her parents dearly, but today was not the greatest day to drop in.

"I'm sorry. I'll see you around five to walk you home?" Wesley asked, feeling very bad for leaving Fred to fend for herself and unwillingly allowing Knox to watch over her.

"I don't know, Wesley...maybe." she offered him a small and sad smile before leading her parents down the corridor.

Seeing her leave, Wesley sighed in an annoyed way. Yes, they were together, but he couldn't just stop the goddamn world because of it. He had to do things he hated, and he couldn't change that. He shook his head and walked into his office to get some work done.

Fred knew she was being ridiculous. Maybe some time away from him would do her good. Her day improved from that point on; her parents enjoyed their tour, she actually managed to get some work done while ignoring Knox...maybe she could deal with this.

Wes left alone that night, and slept in a cold lonely bed, thinking about her. Why was she burdening him so much, when this was all he ever wanted in his life?

She didn't care if it was one in the morning. She almost didn't care if Wesley wanted to be at his own place that night. But she expected that he was at his own place because of the events surrounding her aggravation the previous day. Still not caring that it was 1am, she called Wes on the phone.

He was awoken out of a deep sleep-. "…'llo?" He asked sleepily, his stuffy accent gone for the time being.

"Wesley?" she asked as a greeting. "This is Fred...I wanted to apologize for my childish behavior earlier and I couldn't sleep because it was eating away at me inside and the more I thought about you the less I could sleep." she babbled, clearly awake.

"Fred, its fine. I was…just cranky today. I'm not upset, and you should be asleep now. And so should I. Can this wait till tomorrow? I have to be awake at six." he said softly.

"Of course...sweet dreams, Wesley." she hung up and went back to sleep, clutching Feigenbaum to her chest and dreaming of Wesley.

In the morning, he shuffled into Wolfram and Hart, hoping to god that Eve and Spike had not decided to use his office again.

Fred was in a good mood. She was dressed slightly more businesslike than usual, but that was just because she needed to do her laundry. For a brief moment, she considered going to visit Wesley in his office, but decided not to; she didn't want to pressure him into anything or annoy him.

Wesley worked until noon, and then headed to Fred's office to see if she would join him for lunch.

She was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to work now. True, Knox had been causing her discomfort; offering her coffee, breakfast, lunch, and anything else that he could think off. But she brushed him off, waiting until she could go see Wes again.

Before long, Wesley knocked softly on her door and waited till he was granted permission to enter-

Fred grinned and called for him to come in, while she put away the specimen she was examining, and put her lab coat away.

Wes smiled at her good mood. "I was wondering...if you'd like to join me for lunch…"he offered, standing in front of her.

She smiled brightly. "Hmmm...maybe...I think you'll have to convince me." she said, pretending to think about it.

He thought a moment, grabbed her and pulled her against him, and kissed her roughly. Just as she was about to get into it and get over the shock, he pulled away from her "How's that?"

"I'd say you can keep me," she never lost her smile as she called a more than cheerful goodbye to Knox, who she knew had seen the exchange, and ushered Wesley out the door.

"You think that scared him off a bit?" Wesley asked with a wicked grin.

"Here's hoping!" she winked at him. Any excuse to kiss him was more than welcome. "So what are we doing for lunch? I'm kinda hungry."

"No clue. Whatever you want." he took her hand and squeezed it.

Fred squeezed his hand back. "There's a little cafe down the street we have yet to check out..." she commented, shrugging.

"Sure." he nodded and headed that way. It was a beautiful day out, and he looked at the sky.

"I missed you last night," she said once they had their food and were eating.

"I missed you as well." He smiled, a corky smile.

She grinned. "Feigenbaum says hi. He had a great night," she taunted.

He frowned "I'll kill the little creature." He smiled a bit, quite enjoying the ongoing joke involving Feigenbaum.

"But Wesley...if you kill him, you'll make me sad...do you want me to cry?" Fred asked him, fake pouting.

"If I can be your shoulder to cry on." he tried to make her smile. Oh, how he loved her smile.

She reached across the table to take his hand. "I know we have to work separately...but outside of that...I need you with me...okay?"

He nodded "Of course." he gently squeezed her hand. "You know I love you more than anything, right?"

"I don't know about that... I mean...I think I might love you more," she teased.

"You could. However, we'll have to wait till later to see if that's true, now, won't we?" he winked, and blushed. Wes couldn't believe that came out of his mouth.

Fred giggled. "Are you proposing that we go..." she trailed off, but grinned and raised both eyebrows at him. She knew he'd understand what she was suggesting, and that she was also teasing him.

"Later.'' he said with a grin.

Fred just laughed. It felt so good to have her... she was brought back to the topic of the previous day's argument. "...Wesley...?" she asked seriously.

"yeah?" he asked solemnly, looking up.

"What...what are we? What are we to each other? Are-are we dating or...or what?" she asked cautiously.

"...I don't really know…" he said quietly.

"Well...I-I don't want to rush you, really I don't...but I'd like to try and figure out where we stand?"

"...Fred...I really don't know...its really all up to you. I'm willing to go as far as you want me to…"he sounded a little upset, as if he were afraid that she was going to break up with him.

"Well...honestly I'd like to be together... not just physically..." she blushed. "But...I'd like that emotional stability that generally comes with dating the man of your dreams..."

Wesley gave her a confused, happy look. "…I'm the...man of your dreams?" he asked her cautiously.

Fred couldn't resist teasing him. "Wait...you thought I was talking about you? I was referring to Feigenbaum..." she joked. Then she looked him in the eyes. "You are, Wesley. I can't think of ever loving anyone else."

"Fred...you have no idea...what that means to me..." Wesley sounded so serious it was almost frightening to her.

"It's...you're okay with that, right? I mean, I figured it would make you happy, and it's how I feel...and especially after last night...I couldn't live without you." she played with his fingers a bit, as she was still holding his hand.

Wesley said nothing for a few minutes, clearly trying to find words. Finally, he spoke. '"I've been waiting forever…or at least it feels like it...I never want to be without you...I cant be without you.'"

His words were music to Winifred's ears. "That means so much to me..." she was at a loss for words.

"I love you so much," he whispered to her.

"I love you too, Wesley... and as much as I do...we should probably get back to work. I know that one case you were working on really interests you." She said, smiling.

He nodded "yes, um...I suppose…" he paid the bill and left, remembering to open the door for her.

Fred giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "You didn't have to do that," she commented, clearly appreciating the gesture.

"Of course I do. Its written in all laws of man, that I should open the door for you." he smiled at her.

"But you aren't man. You're Wesley... you're my Wesley...you mean more to me than "man" ever could." she flirted.

"Which is why I should open the door for you…" he said matter-of-factly.

She laughed. "I'm never going to win this, am I?" she asked good-naturedly.

"Nope." 

"Well then... can you be a gentleman and walk me to my lab?" she rested her hear against his shoulder.

"Certainly." Wesley kissed the top of her head and took in the scent of her shampoo. He sighed blissfully.

"This is nice...we should do this more often," Fred said, nuzzling his arm a bit.

"Hmm? Oh...yes…" he agreed softly.

"Working here will be so much more bearable now that I have something to look forward to in my spare time...that is, if it's all right with you..." she grinned. "Those cases must get aggravating after a while..." She smiled sadly. "Well, I'm afraid you're going to have to for a bit...seeing as how this is my stop..." she was referring to the fact that they'd reached her lab.

"...Yes. I suppose I will. Today, may I have the pleasure of walking you home?" Wesley asked her, anticipating the answer.

"I'll be waiting for you." she lifted her head to kiss him passionately. She wanted to leave him with his head spinning."

And she did just that. When he was sitting at his desk, Wesley couldn't get her out of his head.

Fred hummed happily to herself as she finished her work; Wesley would be taking her home shortly, and Knox had finally been avoiding her. It had only taken him months to figure out that she wasn't interested in him.

Spike came in to talk to her before Wesley showed up though.

"Hey Fred."

"Spike! Oh hi, I'm sorry I haven't seen you at all recently; what's up?" she asked cheerfully.

"Nothing really...h-have you...been working on anything...concerning me lately?'"

Fred stared at Spike, trying to remember what was wrong with him. "Oh! Oh, yes. We do have an idea, it's still in the works right now." She continued on, giving a detailed explanation of her theory. "So to be honest, it can't be more than a day or two until you're cured." She smiled sweetly at him.

"Thanks luv." At the moment, he looked a little shaken up. He turned and left the room quickly, just as Wesley was entering.

Fred wondered what THAT was about, but dropped it the second she saw Wes. "Wesley! I was just thinking about stopping downstairs for a visit."

"Its five thirty. Sorry I'm a bit late, but I had some things to finish." He smiled.

"I lost track of time after you left the first time," Fred giggled. "I'm ready to go...assuming you are?"

"Yup." he reached for her hand

She giggled as he took her hand. It was still a bit sore. "What is it with you and my hands?" she asked Wesley curiously. "You seem obsessed."

"They're little." he said, looking giddy as he said it.

Fred laughed. "Wesley, you're so adorable. You're so loveable."

He blushed "...So...am I actually walking you home and leaving or...or..." suddenly he felt stupid. Very stupid.

"Oh Wesley, of course you're staying. Did you think I'd let you leave me and have both of us lonely like last night?" she caressed his cheek with her free hand.

He smiled sadly at the memory of the previous night. "...I love you..."he told her softly.

"I love you too. Let's get home, Wesley."

No, this isn't done :-P. I just spent a good 6 hours retyping this to make it make sense…you can expect another chapter, MUCH shorter than this one (I had a lot of catching up to do, did I not?) tomorrow. This story is nowhere near being finished, I warn you. Stay tuned!


	6. In Which Fred Gets Cranky

Fred sighed. She was working in an office in another part of the building from her lab, as she was now 6 months pregnant. Most of the W&H staff (herself included) had decided to move her to a safer environment until the baby was born. But that still didn't make life much easier.

Every minute he had off, Wesley was with Fred. In fact, even when he didn't have time he was with her, checking to make sure if she was comfortable, checking her symptoms to make sure they were normal, asking her all types of fatherly questions. Every time he saw her it was 'Has it kicked again?'. When he wasn't with her he was bouncing around the office like an idiot, and people were always looking at him oddly.

How had she gotten herself into this, Fred wondered. She loved Wesley, she loved the baby...she didn't love her work. Well, she loved working with the lab, sure. But she didn't like the firm that she and her other beloved coworkers now controlled. Sighing, she got out of her chair and paced herself as she walked towards the break room. She generally avoided people because she hated looking the way she did, but she was starving.

Wes found himself walking towards the same place. Somehow, he knew that that's where she'd be. He was glad when he reached the break room before Fred, as he'd been hoping that he could take her to lunch.

For the past couple of months, Angel had been letting them use a limo for transportation, because he too was afraid something dangerous might happen to Fred and the baby, and would do everything he could to protect her. He'd never admit it – and really he couldn't -, but he feared that Fred would wind up in the same position as he had with Conner.

Spike was a little less up front about his concern for Fred though. He was always peeking into her office to make sure no one was bothering her or hurting her. He followed her and Wes around Wolfram and Hart to make sure demons didn't attack. He was always embarrassed when he was caught, and Eve loved to tease him about it.

Seeing Fred enter the break room, Wesley grinned at her. "Hello there."

"Wesley, hi! I didn't expect you to find me here...how did you know where I was?" she asked him. "Did you rig the security cameras again? You know they don't like it when you do that," she teased. Even if she wasn't in the greatest mood, she'd never admit it to Wesley. She couldn't bear to watch him try to make her feel better all the time, particularly when he wasn't the cause of her frustration. The poor man could only do so much.

"I don't know. I just took a guess." He looked her over, trying to sense if she was upset or not. He concluded that she wasn't angry or...or even worse, emotional. "I was wondering if you wanted lunch. The food here is awful." he commented, coming up to stand beside her.

Fred laughed. "I'm starved. You know how much I hate coming all the way down here, but I didn't want to bother you. I know how busy you are."

"No not at all. Anything for you." he paused. "An' the baby, of course." Wesley sighed. He liked the sound of 'you and the baby'. It was also strange seeing her tummy so big. He was used to her tiny little form, and now she had put on a little more weight, not that he minded in the slightest. He loved her cheeks most of all, how cute they were when she was all puffy. Of course, he would never say she looked 'puffy' for fear of her breaking down.

Fred beamed at Wesley when he mentioned the baby. "Do you want it to be a girl or a boy?" she asked him excitedly. This was her favorite game to play with him. "And what should we name it? I don't like calling it 'it'..."

"Honestly, Fred, for the millionth time, I really don't have a preference. A boy or a girl would be lovely. He or she will be perfect and spoiled and loved like no other child on this planet, so it really doesn't matter." He told her with a delighted smile on his face.

"I love you," she sighed, her hand absently moving to her stomach. "And I'm also kinda hungry. Can we get there a little faster?" Fred wasn't moody...yet. She was going to try not to snap at Wesley today. This was her daily goal, one that she hadn't met in the past week.

"Sure, darling of course. The limo's already outside."he said happily as he walked her to the elevator.

"Do you ever feel special, getting treated like this? Or does it make you feel incredibly stupid? I know I'm just being paranoid, but sometimes it makes me feel awkward..."

"It does. But hopefully it will only be for a little while..." he paused. "..maybe we could...move or. or something." He suggested quietly.

"Wha….Wesley are you crazy! If we leave Wolfram and Hart they're all going to be on our tails until they kill us! And where would that get us!" Fred snapped, astonished that **Wesley** of all people would suggest such a thing.

"...Well, we don't have to leave now. Whenever... this is over...if it ever is..." he struggled for the right words "...I-I wasn't thinking...never mind it."

Fred calmed down a little. "I know what you were thinking. I thought about that too, but there's still no way out. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I feel so horrible about all this." she held Wesley's hand in her own, looking at it.

He silently held her hand; afraid he would make her mad or something. He opened the door to their limo. Now that sounded funny in his head. 'Their limo.'

Fred smiled her thanks. "You know...I think we should do something. Not now, but we should go for dinner or something some night. When you're not stressed out as much. Time for just us, with no doom looming over our heads the next day?"

"Oh, be sure, there will be no doom looming over anything of yours. Ever, ever again." Wesley vowed, looking a tiny bit angry. Not at her of course, he could never be angry with her. Well. Not when she was pregnant anyway, and not without some sort of misunderstanding.

She scooted away from him a bit. Angry Wesley frightened her, especially since she knew he was dangerous when angry.

He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Fred. I'm just...upset that you have to live like this, especially with our baby. He or she will be brought up by two people who work at the most evil law firm in the universe. And that's bad, considering that most law firms are evil as it is." Wesley hoped that his last comment would lighten things up.

Fred took it a step further. "At least since we work for them, they'll probably want him or her to be taken well care of, so when he or she grows up, they'll have another employee... right?" she asked hopefully.

Wes smiled a little. "Yeah." He put his arm around her protectively.

"We can get through this." she snuggled into his side as best she could. "Are we there yet?" she asked softly in a jokingly obnoxious voice reminiscent of a small impatient child.

"I think so, yes." He squinted to see out of the window, and then he turned back to her to confirm. "Yes, only a few minutes away."

"I never even thought to ask... where are we going? Does Angel know we left? I have a million other questions to ask you, only I'm too lazy to actually ask you." Fred wondered aloud.

"Just a little restaurant. You'll like it. They have tons of different things. I know that around this time you're getting a craving for an odd mixture of things," he said. It was clear that he spent some time reading parenting books and pregnancy books.

"Wes...Wesley you are such a nerd!" she told him, laughing. "You're my nerd though. Only you're not a nerd, you just like to be well informed and take care of those around you. I appreciate it, but shouldn't I be the one knowing all this?"

"...I just want you to be spoiled...and…and possibly, lavished with gifts as well." 'That part comes later,' Wes thought.

"Just spending time with you spoils me! Wesley, you need to be taken care of too. This isn't all about me." she smiled sweetly at him. "You're just as deserving of special treatment as I am. I'm just the one who gets to get fat."

"Oh please, Winifred. If you kept the weight on, you'd still be smaller than most women." he paused, hoping that she didn't get upset. "Of course, I love your size. I've always..." he struggled for words "You know what I mean."

"I know... it's just...I used to be so small? And now I'm not. Please don't think I'm vain, but I lived that way for over 20 years, so this still new to me and..." she ceased her babbling, not wanting to make the situation worse.

"Of course it is. It's normal to feel that way, Fred. And you'll get back to your normal size. But for now, don't worry about it." Wesley said gently. As he finished, the limo stopped and he smiled at her and got out, holding open the door for a minute as he helped her get out.

"Thank you," she said, looking directly into his eyes. This was more of a 'thank you for everything you've ever done to help' thank you than a "thank you for getting me out of the car' thank you. Something she didn't do often. But she loved Wesley so much.

Wesley held her for a moment, and then stepped away to shut the door. He took her hand and led her into the small restaurant.

"This place looks cozy. I've never been here before. Wesley, how far from Wolfram and Hart are we?"

"Only about ten minutes." he told her quietly, looking around. A waiter seated them, and of course, Wesley, always the gentleman, made sure Fred was comfortable before he sat down.

Looking at the menu, Fred had to comment. "This place looks kind of fancy, Wesley..." Well. Fancy by their standards. They usually frequented small cafes and the Chinese food place. This was a step up from their usual, and it made her fidgety. Not that she wasn't appreciative; anything Wesley did would please her. She knew he knew that too.

"Its nothing. We work at a huge law firm, darling. Its not like I don't get paid well." He gave her a little smirk.

"Why though? I mean, I know your salary, and I know that if you combine it with mine we make more per year than the average American will make in 5 years. But you do know that you don't need to spend anything on me, right? That I already love you?" Fred bit her lip.

Wesley smiled. It was just like her to be concerned for anyone but herself. "Of course. I just...I just want to...Make sure you know that I love you, is all." He blushed and looked away, pretending he hadn't reiterated what she'd said.

"Will you help me spoil our child like this? Not taking him or her to fancy places of course, but in showing him or her how much we care?" Fred asked, her hands finding their way back to her belly.

"Of course. Spoiling you and our child will be my only goal in life. Aside from spoiling you, that is." Wes grinned.

"But you'll see to it that you allow me to spoil you too, right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Flirting was fun.

"Didn't know you'd want to," he admitted. "It doesn't take much. Just you being around is enough to spoil me."

"Wesley, I don't love you just because you're taking extremely good care of me. I love you because you've been hurt, Wes. Because you think you're so strong. Because even if you won't admit it, you need me. Like I need you." she smiled and reached for his hand.

He held it tightly "I'd die without you." he said simply.

"I'd die without you. Which brings me to my next point; can we order food now? My stomach's making all these hungry noises." Fred made a funny face as she looked at her stomach.

He grinned. "Yes, we just have to wait for a…waiter." Wesley looked around and spotted their waiter coming towards them.

Poor Fred was practically bouncing in her chair as she placed her order. Wesley grinned at her, and placed his order last. It wasn't much; he wasn't very hungry.  
As the waiter left, Fred looked down. One might assume she was obsessing about her stomach, but this was not the case.

"What's wrong, darling?" Wesley asked, concerned.

"Talking about the baby got me thinking..." she was clearly upset and obviously didn't want to share, though she needed to anyhow.

He waited for her to speak, sitting back in his seat for a moment. He was clearly nervous about what she was going to say.

"What... I mean, after the baby's born... what's going to happen to...you know... us?" she asked nervously.

"...Wh-what do you mean?" he asked her curiously, not quite grasping the question.

"Well..." she blushed bright red. "Wesley? We've been dating for half a year. A little more, maybe. And now…and now I'm carrying your baby. What's going to happen in the future?"

Wesley silently cursed. That was for later, and she had unknowingly ruined it. He tried to cover his disappointment. "Lets...lets talk about that later, all right?" he smiled.

Fred looked alarmed and frowned, but nodded and went back to poking and prodding at her stomach.

"So...erm...how's...how's everything in the lab?" he asked curiously.

"I...wouldn't know. You know they stopped letting me down there last month after the false emergency..." she smiled a little, glancing up at him for a moment.

"Yes. Well. Perhaps...perhaps they could be a bit more...lenient, I suppose. But soon you wont even be at work, so you don't need to worry about it." he glanced up as the waiter brought their food.

Fred smiled at the man as she began the dutiful task of pushing her food around on her plate. She was worried. Wesley had blatantly refused to talk about their future, suggesting that he wanted nothing to do with her after the birth of the baby. She knew he'd care for the child, but she was worried that he didn't need her.

"Darling, you were complaining about starvation ten minutes ago." He joked lightly. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I'm being a baby," she said forcefully, not looking up.

"Fred, its not that I don't want to talk about that. I just...well, not right now. I promise promise promise that we will later, all right? I'm still coming over tonight, and that's the first thing we will talk about, all right?"

"...Okay..." She had to give in. They were in public anyhow, and she didn't want to upset Wesley. She looked at him, gave him a ghost of a smile, and began scarfing down her food.

He only nibbled at his food, glancing at her once in a while.

"Is it good?" she asked him five minutes later, after she'd consumed everything on her plate.

"Its all right. I'm not all that hungry though." he smiled at her. "Yours was good, I assume?"  
"It was." she looked up at him. "Thank you. I mean it."

Wesley smiled "anything for you."

"I'm sorry for being grumpy. Didn't mean it," she pouted.

"It's all right, Fred, really. You don't need to worry about anything." Wes said as he walked with her out to the limo.

"Back to work..." she whined. She really didn't want to go back there yet.

"Don't worry, only about three more hours, and you can go home." He kissed her on the lips gently.

Fred kissed him back. "You're too good at convincing me to do things I really don't want to." she smirked.

"I have that effect." Wesley said with a smirk.

"So you'll come get me after work, right?" Fred worried out loud.

"Of course. Wouldn't leave my princess unprotected, would I?"

"Oh knock it off!" she giggled. "Princess was Cordy's nickname!"  
"But you're MY princess." Wes told her, and then sighed in mourning. Poor Cordy was still in her mystical coma.

Fred knew where he was coming from "I know...but she can still wake up. And then she'll yell at you for giving her nickname to your girlfriend. I'm just trying to save you the pain and aggravation now."

Wes chuckled. "Good point you got there." he said with a slight nod

"Cordy's gonna flip when she wakes up and finds out what's happened since she's gone…" Fred commented quietly.

"Yes, I suppose she will. Everything's different now." He said sadly with another sigh.

"Wesley, what's wrong? I'm sorry you don't want to talk about her, but she's not dead!" Fred complained.

"...I just...I suppose I consider Angel, Cordy and myself three of the originals. We effectively began Angel Investigations. It hurts to know the strongest of the three were taken down." He told her. Fred frowned; as one of the newest members of the team, she couldn't really relate.

"She'll be back Wesley. She's strong. Just don't underestimate her." She soothed.

"I know she will...I know." They arrived at Wolfram and Hart and he walked her back to her office, and then went to his own, waiting for word on a new case or something.

In her own makeshift office, there was nothing to do. Everyone kept taking things from her, claiming they didn't want to stress her out. But taking everything and leaving her nothing to do was what WAS stressing her out. Fred turned on the TV on the wall (similar to Angel's) and fell asleep at her desk.

Around 3:30 that afternoon, Wes went to check up on her again. He found her asleep, and kneeled down beside her chair, quietly whispering into her ear, "Fred." He gently squeezed her shoulder. "Fred, its time to go home."

Fred, poor thing, never was a sound sleeper. She awoke almost immediately, but was still exhausted. She yawned and stretched, and asked in a slightly whiny voice "Can't I just stay here? Its all warm..." her eyes half closed again as she started dozing off.

"I suppose you could, but then you'd have a nice little crick in your neck to wake up to. You don't want that, do you?" Wesley's voice was soft and hesitant, as though he didn't want to alert her and set off the mother of all mood swings from cute-half-asleep-Fred to Don't-boss-me-around-I-can-take-care-of-myself-Fred.

Fred sighed, and gave Wesley her "I-REALLY-hate-this" looks, but managed to pull her slightly bulky self up and leaned on Wesley slightly for support. She didn't care where they went, so long as she could sleep. And of course, Wesley should sleep too, because sleep was important and EVERYONE needed to sleep. She continued babbling in her head as she stifled a yawn.

Wesley put his arm around Fred in a protective sort of way, of course trying not to let himself puff up with pride as he walked her out of the building. The elevator took them down into the garage and then he walked her to their limo, opened the door for her, and got in beside her. "Now, don't start telling me about how you hate this attention. I know you do, but Angel insists this is for your safety. All right?" he asked before she could complain.

Fred batted her eyelashes at him, clearly enjoying the attention they were getting at the moment. Sleep forgotten, she rested her head on Wesley's shoulder contentedly. "You're right...and, to tell you the truth, I really do like the attention. You spoil me too much, Wesley."

He sighed in relief, and smiled. "I try, darling, I try." The rest of the ride to her apartment was pretty quiet, and Wesley liked it that way. He sometimes liked to just listen to the sound of her soft, gentle breathing.

Fred groaned and shifted in her seat. She really wanted to bring up the issue of what would happen once the baby was born, but she really felt like she didn't have the patience at the time to deal with Wesley avoiding her question.

When the limo pulled up to her apartment, he waited to get out. "Do you want me to stay over with you again?" He asked her, pulling away to look at her.

Fred tilted her head, as if she thought he was mildly insane. Before she could utter a sarcastic remark, she calmed down and reminded herself that this was her love. "Of course you're staying, Wesley..." She didn't want to admit that it was more because she was afraid he was going to leave her because of the baby, than because she needed the comfort and security. Though she needed both of those, and only Wesley made her feel like she was truly safe from harm.

Wes smiled. The only real reason he'd even asked was because sometimes...she got in one of her moods and just wouldn't talk to him, and that made him a tad uncomfortable. "Alright." He opened the door and helped her out.

When they got into her apartment, Fred looked at Wesley and asked him politely, if not stiffly, if he'd like anything to eat or drink.

"No thank you. You just go and rest all right. Is there anything I can get you?" Wesley asked, shocked that she would dare ask if she could get him anything.

"Of course not," she said, clearly put off by something. Seeing Feigenbaum on the table, she picked him up and in a rare moment of pure fury, threw him against the wall.

"Fred...d-did I say something...wrong?" he asked, quickly trying to make everything right.

"No," she whined plainly, walking over to the sink to wash some already spotless dishes.

Wesley walked up behind her and gently pulled her away from the sink. "Sweetheart, tell me. Please." He begged softly.

She glared at him angrily, but the expression faded after a few moments, revealing a clearly sad and worried Fred. Stubborn as she was though, she just continued looking at him.

"Please Fred...I want to make it all better..." he said softly.

"You can't," she said bitterly. "The damage has already been done and there's nothing we can do to save it,"

Wesley sighed and his shoulders sunk in defeat "alright then..." he whispered.

"Hold me?" she asked timidly.

Wes looked at her in shock. "Of course..." he put his arm around her cautiously and led her into her bedroom-

"Wesley..." she trailed off, knowing she had to go through with this, but it didn't make it any easier for her to say.

"What is it?" He asked her, looking nervous.

"Why don't you just break up with me right now?" she asked emotionlessly and bluntly.

'"W-what?" Wesley's eyes widened and he shook his head "I'd never Fred, never. I love you."

"The conversation we had at the restaurant this afternoon. And the way you avoided it, Wesley. It's okay, really. I can...I can deal with this..." she was upsetting herself, even though that thought never actually made it to her mind. She was too busy being concerned about what was going to happen.

"Fred...I didn't...want to talk about it…because..." Wes fumbled slightly, sticking his hands into his pockets. He pulled out a black velvet box. It took him a few moments to open it though. Inside was a small diamond ring, perfectly proportioned for her little fingers.

Fred couldn't be more confused. "What's this all about?" her anger and sadness and worry was now replaced by confusion and curiosity.

"I-I didn't want to...talk about it...because I was going to ask you to marry me...but… I wanted it to be at the right moment, Fred."

Suddenly everything made sense to her. She'd read all the signs wrong, dragged Wesley through hell because she thought he was going to break off their relationship...all so that he could propose to her. And he WAS proposing to her. Fred opened and shut her mouth a few times, trying to find words to express her thoughts, her apologies, and her acceptance. In the end however, she settled for crying.

"Fred...d-don't cry...please... I know...its not the right time...but...I'm sorry." He leaned in and kissed her tears away, hugging her tightly.

She slapped him lightly. "Sorry for what! Wesley...I messed everything up for you! I-I mean, I d-didn't know it at the time, b-but..." she sniffled, clinging to him. "I'm so, SO sorry, Wesley..."

"Don't be...I'm alright...just as long as you're happy, I'm happy." he whispered.

"I love you, my Wesley," she whispered back, burying her head in his shoulder and weeping. Some of her emotions were due to mood swings and whatnot, but the majority of this was caused by her guilt over how she'd treated him.

"I love you more, Winifred." Wesley stroked her hair lovingly, thinking of all the hell he put her through, not for once even considering that she had hurt him.

"I... I can't believe... you still love me?" she asked, positively guiltily.

"More than anything I've ever loved in my life." He said with a straight face.

"... Can I get you something to eat?" Fred asked blankly. "I...I should make something for you. When was the last time you ate?"

"No, no Fred, I'm all right. You should get some rest though. I'll order something if I get hungry. Are you hungry?" He spoke quickly.

"Not unless you are," she said with a cute pout. She no longer had any reason to doubt Wesley's love, and would do anything and everything in her power to prove to him that she was still worthy of his affections.

"You should eat, you know. Pregnant women usually...eat more than you do." Wesley told her in a matter of fact way.

Fred pouted even more. "Will you make me a taco? Everything's in the fridge..." the pout dissolved as she tried to fight the smile that appeared on her face.

Wesley found himself repeating what he'd told her earlier. "Anything for you." He kissed her forehead. "Just give me a few minutes." he said, and left the room to make her a taco.

"And make one for yourself!" she called loudly after him. "I want to see you in here with TWO tacos! You hear me?" she giggled; something she hadn't done in quite a while. She rubbed her belly comfortingly...and suddenly she had a greater respect for the future.

Wesley quietly went about making the tacos, crafting them as perfect as he could, or at least the one that was hers. He brought the two tacos in on a plate, and then rushed back out to get her a drink.

She was very pleased that he'd made himself a taco as she'd asked. Just because she was pregnant didn't mean her Wesley didn't need constant attention. She eyed the ring, still in its box, forgotten on the bed. She stared at it for a while.

He came back in with her drink and sat it on her bedside table, then sat at the end of her bed at her feet, looking at the tacos.

"So...you're...you're serious about wanting to marry me? I-I mean, it's not a joke?" she asked quietly. She'd eat her taco. She just had to work through this again.

He looked up sharply. "A joke? Why would I ever do that to you?" he asked her, shocked.

"I was just making sure..." Fred gently handed him the box containing the ring.

Wesley plucked it out, and held it out for her, waiting for her to put it on. "I would never do anything like that, Fred." He whispered to her.

Fred giggled and held out her hand. "You're supposed to do it, Wesley. It's not tradition if I put it on..." she smiled sweetly.

He smiled at her sweetness and took her hand lightly, and sliding the ring over her finger "Perfect fit." He said, pulling her hand up to kiss it.

Fred blushed a light pink. "It feels so special..." she said quietly, looking at the ring on her hand and then up at Wesley. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, my darling." He reiterated, and picked up his taco, studying it for a moment.

Her eyes gleamed as she practically dove for her taco. Had her belly not been so large or carrying 'precious cargo', she WOULD have dove for it.


	7. Shortest Chapter Ever?

I know this is EXTREMELY short, but due to plotline reasons, it had to be like this.

Also, I needed to get a chapter out. So after an hour or roleplaying, we came up with this. Please forgive me for the shortness, but I promise it will be made up in the upcoming chapters. :)

Disclaimer: I am not Joss Whedon. I am not affiliated with Mutant Enemy. Therefore, what would cause anyone to assume that these fine characters are mine? (read as: not my characters! Don't sue!)

Wesley laughed softly and bit into the taco, his eyes still on her as she ate. She was so dainty, even with the amount of weight she had gained with the baby, that it was quite a show to watch her eat. Not that he didn't just love it, of course.

Fred caught Wesley looking at her and smiled at him, apologetically. As if it were her fault she felt the need to eat every couple of hours. She felt like a pig, even though she knew it was normal. Still, she felt a little uneasy

He smiled back at her, and wondered why she looked so guilty and uncomfortable-''Do you need anything love?'' He asked her.

She dropped the smile. "No. No I'm fine. Me, who's all…big and, and cow like. " She pouted cutely.

He wasn't sure how to reply to this. To agree would surely be the death of him. ''Darling, you're a very beautiful woman and you know it. Its not like it isn't normal to gain weight when you're pregnant. '' He reached out and ran his hand over her stomach. ''And don't you go denying yourself of anything, like some of those women do, just to lose weight. You want our child to be beautiful and healthy, don't you?''

Fred nodded, smiling down at her belly. "I don't know how I'd manage my life without you," she cooed, putting town her nearly finished taco and holding out her arms to be hugged.

Wes hugged her to his chest. ''I would surely perish without you.'' he agreed, stroking her hair. He closed his eyes for a moment and kissed her neck. He allowed himself for a moment to think of his past relationships. There were only two; Amy, in high school, and more recently Lilah. Lilah would have never allowed him to hold her like this. But in his own way, he had loved her. On occasion, he would go down to the file room and attempt to burn her contract, maybe cast a spell, but in never worked. Lately he hadn't thought about it, till now. After a moment or two he banished the thought from his mind and his mind went back to Fred

"I know it's silly to think so, but I can't explain in words how much it makes me feel better to know you...approve..." she made little finger quotation marks here, "of all this..." she sighed happily. "Shouldn't we be working or something?" she commented offhandedly a moment later.

''You, are officially on maternity leave, because I just cant let you sleep in that office during the day if you need rest. As for me, I only work from now on when Angel really needs the help.'' he said in his Wes Matter-Of-Factly tone.

She frowned. "But Wesley, what am I supposed to do when I get bored? She asked, suddenly upset by her fiancé's decision.

''Darling, I wont be gone much of the time. Maybe, at the most, a few hours a week. And then... I shall give you my credit cards and you can shop or...or order things out of magazines. Whatever you want. I promise, it wont be that long, if at all.'' He said, kissing her cheek lightly, hoping it would make everything all better.

"But that's no fun!" she argued. "Money doesn't equal happiness, blah blah blah... can't I at LEAST go to the office with you? Help with research or something? Eating and spending money is not a fun way to live," she sighed. Was she going to have to pull tears this time?

He hesitated. ''I...suppose that would be all right. I mean, its not like you'd be tiring yourself out too much.'' he nodded. ''Yes, that's fine. But if I see one tiny ounce of tiredness I shall send you straight to bed.'' he said with mock sternness.

Instantly the irritation and anger disappeared from her face and she smiled happily, her face lighting up like being allowed to go to the office - which was NOT a particularly fun task to begin with - was a Christmas gift she'd always wanted. "Thank you," she said appreciatively, finishing off her taco.

He loved making her happy. It was always something that it seemed he could do so easily. Wes loved the glow that just radiated off of her when she was happy or excited about something. He would never get tired of making her happy.'' All right. Now that you've eaten, maybe you could take a nap, you look a bit tired, then perhaps afterwards you'd like to rent some movies or something?'' He suggested.

"At this rate, I'm going to be spoiled rotten and never want to go to work again," she smirked. She was only half joking of course. She loved her direct coworkers... that is, to say, the band of...well, men, with Cordy out of the picture for the time being, known as Angel Investigations. "Movies and food, and office time... Wesley you've made a brat out of me," she said with a little yawn.

Wes shrugged his shoulders. ''That's okay. I've always wanted to spoil you. You deserve to be spoiled. And you couldn't be a brat if you tried.'' he stood up and took her tray, starting towards the door.

Fred pouted. "Don't worry about the tray... I'm not so big yet that I can't get up and take my own dishes into the kitchen. Why don't you take a break with me? We can watch a movie or something, take a nice nap together? Or, given the time, got o bed? Then in the morning we can go to work!" she exclaimed happily.

''I like doing things for you. And of course we can take a nap together.'' he said, and left the room with the tray. He came back and sat down beside her, kicking off his shoes and setting them by her bed.

She nestled up close to him as best she could. Poor Fred had been exhausted, but being as strong-willed as she was, she'd never admit defeat to anything. Having Wes with her, though, made her feel safer. "Luvoo," she mumbled, clearly trying to become comfortable so she could sleep.

''I love you too, Fred.'' he whispered, waiting until she fell asleep, then he would sleep. He wanted her comfort and happiness to be before his own, only then would he be truly happy.

After a moment, she fell asleep; her last thoughts were, strangely, worrying about drooling on Wesley's shoulder.

When he saw that she was sleeping comfortably, he closed his eyes and attempted to sleep as well. And for once in their lives, which, given the activity demanded my their lin of work seemed longer than they were, everything seemed to be going according to plan. Wesley wished he had a camera to capture their lives at this moment; nothing, it seemed, could ruin it now.

Ahhh, if you're reading this, I have a feeling you're going to get a kick out of the next chapter. It's not actually in the works yet, but give me a week and it'll be a couple of pages long. Many ideas, MUCH Fresleyness. And, perhaps, a little more of Wesley.


End file.
